Washington (CNN) - New pointed rhetoric on Monday over the government shutdown and the looming debt ceiling deadline from President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner.

Not long after the president reiterated that he won't negotiate with Congress while the country's in a government shutdown and under the threat of a possible debt default, House Speaker John Boehner took to the floor of the chamber to respond.
"The president had us all down to the White House last week, only to remind me that he was not going to negotiate over keeping the government open or over the looming need to increase the debt limit," Boehner said. "The president's refusal to negotiate is hurting our economy and putting our country at risk."

Boehner then highlighted comments from two senior White House economic advisers, including Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, who said earlier Monday that Obama "is not going to sanction negotiations with any factions that are using the threat of default as a way of extracting policy in our democracy."

Boehner said "a senior White House official said that the president would rather default than to sit down and negotiate.

"Really? The president, I will say this again, a senior White House staffer, this morning said that the president would rather default on our debt than to sit down and negotiate."

"Now the American people expect when their leaders have differences, we're in a time of crisis, that we'll sit down and at least have a conversation. Really, Mr. President, it's time to have that conversation before our economy is put further at risk," Boehner concluded.

Earlier Monday, while speaking at FEMA, the president also repeated that he won't negotiate under the gun, saying "we're not going to establish that pattern," adding that "we're not going to negotiate under the threat of a prolonged shutdown until Republicans get 100% of what they want" or under the threat of "economic catastrophe."

The president also differed with Boehner's comments from Sunday that there were not enough votes to pass a clean continuing resolution to fund the government.

"My very strong suspicion is there are enough votes there," Obama said, adding that Boehner "apparently doesn't want to see the government shutdown end ... unless he's able to extract concessions that don't have anything to do with the budget."

soundoff(39 Responses)

@ThinkAgain. Just remember, we have long memory too. We will blame BOH for the past 8 years when we vote out the Democrats next year and in 2016.

You didn't like Bush. He will be considered a saint compared to Obama.

Enjoy your very short time in control.

October 7, 2013 04:20 pm at 4:20 pm |

pass the buck

You all are invited to Senator Harry Read's retirement party in November 2014.

October 7, 2013 04:23 pm at 4:23 pm |

S. B. Stein

Get a clean CR that goes for a month and a debt limit raised by $750 billion to start and in that time talk about a complete budget and then get the appropriations bills passed.

October 7, 2013 04:25 pm at 4:25 pm |

Mcshannon

John Boehner’s favorite lobbyist Lockheed Martin receives over 40 billion dollars of American tax dollars every year through foreign aid packages that mandate purchase of arms from USA manufacturers and military contracts. The world really doesn’t need more weapons in the hands of Mid-East countries.

October 7, 2013 04:27 pm at 4:27 pm |

pass the buck

Now the government "largest employer" knows how the rest of America feels when private corporations have to layoff works during a downturn in the economy or when they make bad business decisions. The government workers are only feeling the pain the average American has had to deal with for the past 5 years under Obama.

October 7, 2013 04:28 pm at 4:28 pm |

Kinard

If the country goes over the fiscal cliff like some believe it should, the people responsible need to be held accountable. The people in our country need better representation than we're being afforded at this time. We're subjected to political whims that are unreasonable, from both parties. There has got to be common ground. Those among us that believe it's smart to be this disruptive are doing much more damage than they realize. We ( The People ), actually need protection from our own elected leaders.

October 7, 2013 04:31 pm at 4:31 pm |

pass the buck

Clean Continuing Resolution should be called Standing Resolution. (SR).

Remember, this is because no one has passed a budget in Congress in 5 years.

October 7, 2013 04:37 pm at 4:37 pm |

pass the buck

Will all the Democrats send me their credit card accounts, so we can pay our bills. My mortgage and car payments are due. And, of course now Obama care bills and taxes that will come due.

October 7, 2013 04:40 pm at 4:40 pm |

Jay

The current situation the US is in shows once and for all that the political system in the US cannot work. A friend of mine in the UK (and I also am British) commented a while ago that Britain, under Blair was being governed to all intents and purposes as the US is governed, and we should switch to the US system......I fervently disagreed with him then and feel vindicated in doing so now........for the Republicans to hold the executive to hostage over an issue which was the central platform in the Presidential elections, and one which was so contentious that it would be enough to derail a presidential campaign should the US electorate really take objection to it is ludicrous to say the least.......the very fact that it is still being targeted by the Tea Party wing of the Republicans show that they have no respect or regard for the wider opinions of the US populace at all........It is high time for the Republican Party to grow a pair and tell the Tea Partiers to shut up or get out........extreme factions have no place in mainstream politics and the reality is that the Republican Party face a tough choice.......either have the abcess which is the Tea Party wing cut out now and face a few years of re-positioning themselves and become a centrist conservative party which is appealing and a viable option, or suffer a long and slow death.........the Tea Party had their best shot at Government in the last election and came up woefully short..........it is an absolute disgrace that a minority wings politics is being allowed to hold sway over a majority view.........wake up America, you are being laughed at around the world..........Winston Churchill once said that America always does the right thing.......but only after exploring all other options.......70 years on, it is time you once and for all put his analysis in the annals of history rather than prove him right over and over and over again.........

October 7, 2013 04:50 pm at 4:50 pm |

pass the buck

@Rudy NYC

I appreciate the comprising Democrats in the Senate. They are so human. They want to steal our money to fund Obama care, but not fund the NIH for cancer treatment patients and research.

Gee, did we refund the department of Education yet? That would be a good bill to propose too.

October 7, 2013 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

pass the buck

DEFUND OBAMA CARE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, IRS, and as many more to save our country.

October 7, 2013 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

livingston

If the gop/teaparty is so sure that a clean CR won't pass.... put it up for a vote. The fact that they won't shows they know it will pass.

October 7, 2013 05:07 pm at 5:07 pm |

Mark in Seattle

Advice for Pass the Buck. Take a deep breath and turn off fox. Feel better??

October 7, 2013 05:08 pm at 5:08 pm |

wildman38

Why give into the senate? I can't afford Obamacare for others to have a free ride and my coverage now is terrible and going to get worse. People will be fined if they don't buy or have insurance? This isn't America the land of the free ... this is soon to be 100% government ran country and you me and everyone else will be told what we can and cant do even regarding the smallest of things. Be scared my friends.